Raindrops
by Blue Flaming Wings
Summary: Life continues on, but for Rikuo Sakisaka everything has changed.
1. Chapter 1

Raindrops

It didn't take more than two strides for Rikuo to cross his room and collapse on his futon with a sigh and flutter of sheets. He stared up at the ceiling, seeing the sleek metallic grayness of the walls that enclosed him. The darkness of the night hid the posters of bands on the walls and stretched out his desk and dresser into elongated shadows. Though he'd rather be caught dead than tell Naoka-nee this – Rikuo actually had an old childhood fear of the dark. From where he lay on the ground everything around him in the room seemed to tower above him; the gleaming red light of the HDU panel above the light switch had always held a faint menace to him in his earliest memories.

Now though he could only smile as he buried his face deeper into his sheets.

"_I've seen so many things here. There's a lot of problems, each time it's distressing. But I feel like this is the right path."_

Even now, hours later, the words rang in his head. They sung with the solid thrum of truth. And with that truth, a weight that had settled through his body, coalescing into a numbing iron skin, disintegrated in one moment. Those words … how long has he wanted to say them, admit them? This really is the right path. His smile widened as he felt the beginnings of slumber catch him.

"_Speak to me!"_

Rikuo jerked up, the words sounding in his head.

_That's right. _Rikuo thought as he bent over, clutching at his head, feeling his fingernails scrap into his scalp. _Masaki had said that to his THX … TEX was his name, I think. "What were you thinking?" He had said. "For all those years …" What was he think – _

An image flashed in his head, cutting through the haze of foggy midnight thoughts. The image of a young woman who had raindrops pouring down on her, matting her brown tresses into slick clumps that clung to her skin, as real to the touch as any human's. Her eyes, framed by those locks of soaked hair, stared and stared out at him, where Rikuo stood by the side of the road, umbrella clutched in hand as giggles faded in the distance.

Rikuo hurried out of the room before he even realized what he did. _Water._ He thought as he crept down the stairs. Maybe some water would clear his head, make the haze that surrounded his thoughts and kept him up recede, so that he could finally slip back into slumber. He had to trail a hand on the wall in order to orient himself. The darkness of the night and unlit room caused a heavy blackness to surround him – one that he had to push himself through. He felt the plush of the couch that Naoka-nee lazied about on, which meant the kitchen table would be in the middle and the counter would be – ah! There!

He felt the cold tiles of the kitchen counter beneath his fingers. It did not take long to trace his way to the end of the counter to find the fridge. He opened the fridge door with a creek, showering light which broke through the thick darkness. As usual, the contents of the fridge were full – okaa-san kept it stuffed. He just pulled out a water bottle as a voice reached him from behind.

"Master."

He should have expected it. In fact, the reason why he went down in the first place might have been to speak to her. But still, when her voice came out of nowhere like that he yelped and fumbled with the water so it didn't fall. He took a breath and turned around.

"Sammy! You scared me."

"Sorry," She said, her eyes darting to the floor for a split of a second before glancing at his face again, "What are you doing up?"

That gesture alone spoke to him. It told him of the slackening of her defenses, gave him a peek behind the mask.

Perhaps that was why ... no ... that was why a smile perked on his lips, "Just getting some water," He said, bringing the bottle to his lips. When he brought it down he turned to Sammy, "What about you? What are you doing right now?"

Like many androids Sammy had no need to sleep, and so, in the depths of night as the Sakisakas slept, she did housewide chores like cleaning, sweeping, vacuuming (put in silent mode – of course) and preparing breakfast for the family when they awake first thing in the morning.

But instead of any of that, Sammy just gestured to the couch. "I was bringing a blanket for Naoka-sama."

Rikuo approached the couch, clutched at the upholstery and glanced down. Sure enough, Naoka-nee slumped over the side of the seats, droll dribbling down her chin, had been wrapped in a fuzzy blue blanket. "Ara," Rikuo said, half a smirksmile gracing his face, "She's been out drinking again."

Sammy slid behind him with a silent, effortless, nonhuman grace. "She seems to be having fun every night with her college friends." She said. She probably had more of a smile than a smirk on her face. In fact, her expressions were so rare that Rikuo stole a glance at her face by instinct.

"What is that?"

Following his pointing, Sammy raised a hand to the lily flower tucked into her hair. Her smile, for she had smiled when she spoke on Naoka-nee, grew. She ran her fingers over the petals. "Okaa-san," She said, as if she was her okaa-san as well, "She gave it to me."

"I see."

"Do you like it?"

Rikuo jerked his head up to look at her, but she had glanced down in a hurry. But he could still see it, the flush on her cheeks, the way her fingers curled up on the hem of her dress. His eyes widened. Akiko had told him that during the times Sammy did come in to the Time of Eve (they always missed each other for some odd reason) that she had acted shy, even meek. Her heart pried open at a trickling pace. So different from the stoicism she so carefully crafted at home. He had seen snapshots of that shyness the couple of times they had bumped into each other at the café, but here, now, he saw it at home. Where before she had kept that barrier of professionalism about her now it was crumbling away. Her question itself, an echo of an earlier one about a headband, was yet another indication.

And it was her question more than anything that made the words tumble from his lips.

"This Saturday … will you go to the Time of Eve with me?"

Her hand fell from the flower. Her eyes widened, scrunching up her forehead and nose.

_So that's how she looks when surprised. _

...…..

So, I rewatched Time of Eve for the second time a few days ago and the idea for this fic hasn't left me alone since. It just came from a simple idea – that given how much weight Rikuo's and Sammy's relationship is given the fact that they only have a handful of talks, none of which are in the Time of Eve where Sammy can act human, seems to be a bit of an oversight. I expect this fic will be short (a minific for a miniseries) and only go for two or three more chapters.

For fans of Distant Hills – sorry, this isn't a sign that I'll be more active and start up that fic again. I'll probably just finish this piece and then go quiet again … unless I'm inspired to write another short piece that I can crank out in a day or two.

I'll write the next chapter when I have the time. Till then, chao!

BFW


	2. Chapter 2

Japan had changed since the introduction of widespread commercial robotics use. Granted, that was not only place the advent of technology could be seen on his hometown. Hologram ads, touch screens, self-driven cars, solar panels attached to the top of tall buildings, and, most important of all, the androids. They filled the streets, their halos of red distinguishing them from other passerbys. Half to half. Roughly.

Like the android by his side now.

Rikuo couldn't help but spare a glance at Sammy. Honestly … he didn't know what to say to her and the silence ate up the time as they walked.

_Think of something. _"So, uh, have you been to Time of Eve often?"

Sammy opened her mouth, closed it, then said, "A few times, Master. I had only been going there for a month when you and Masaki discovered the café."

"How did you find it?"

She paused. Rikuo wondered if the question made her uncomfortable somehow. Here, outside the Time of Eve, Rikuo found it hard to read her. As she spoke, Sammy's face seemed to be an undiscernible mask. "I heard about it from Shimei-san." When he kept looking at her she added, "In the maintenance department."

_Oh. _

He still didn't know what happens when Sammy goes in for repairs, only that it happens once a month. The last time it occurred Shimei was also gone – leaving Chie-chan alone in the café. So they went in on the same day.

Silence fell on the two again as they made their way to the Time of Eve. Part of it had to do with Rikuo not knowing what to say, but another part just had to do with a feeling that they had reached the end of the conversation. Is this what was meant by a comfortable silence?

"We're here," Rikuo said as they stepped into the alley.

The grey, metallic door stood as it always had – brushed up against the wall. Rikuo eyed the sign nearby to the restaurant next door, the one that read "No Robots Allowed" before heading towards the doorway. He breathed. He turned the doorknob.

The chime of the bell rang out as Rikuo walked into the café. Above fans continued their ceaseless rotation causing cool air to be pushed about the room. He spotted Setoro in the back, alone, reading, like always, and Rina and Koji sitting huddled on a couch murmuring away. Shimei and Chie were nowhere to be seen, along with Akiko, but Nagi perked up the moment she spotted him.

"Welcome," She began as Rikuo descended the stairs.

Sammy appeared behind him.

"Back," her voice trailed off.

Unlike him, Sammy's eyes didn't linger over the other patrons but rather went to the piano that sat in the corner. "Why don't you pick a table?", he asked. Sammy's eyes tore away from the piano and settled on one of the tables in the middle. They took a seat.

Just a quick wave over the crystal oval in the center of the table was enough to shoot the menu up into the air. The hologram hovering before their eyes. Rikuo quickly found the Eveblend, but besides that brand of coffee he hadn't really explored the menu much.

He tilted in his chair to glance over at Sammy. "So, what would you recommend?"

The difference between Sammy outside the café and the Sammy inside it were striking to him. Outside, at home, the android stood poised – her face sculpted in a mask of indifference, the Ring hanging over head in a muted red before any of them spoke to her. Here, in the Time of Eve, her face seemed to go through a gamut of expressions – and this one seemed to have settled on _very _surprised.

"W-wha-t?"

Rikuo blinked. _I could get used to teasing her. _"You've been here for a month longer than me, right? What would you recommend?"

"I don't, I – " A haze seemed to settle on her features for a second, but then she said, "I would recommend the Garden of Eden Salad Bowl."

Rikuo frowned. _Did the Second Law just activate? _ But said out loud, "Salad, huh?"

"Right."

"So, I take it you both are ready?"

The new voice drew Rikuo's attention. Nagi had stepped away from the counter and stood before them with her hands behind her back. Rikuo did not know if the smile on her face was out of genuine fondness or due to being a barista.

"Yes, I would like a Eveblend with a Garden of Eden."

"Croutons, tomatoes, broccoli?"

"Everything on it. And Ranch dressing."

"And for you?" She said, turning her gaze on Sammy.

"The same. Oh! But with Italian dressing."

"Alright. I'll be right out." With that, Nagi departed. Once more a silence fell over the two of them. Not a true silence, as noises could still be heard such as the whirling of the fans and the hum of conversation in the background, but a silence nonetheless. But Rikuo didn't feel any urge to break it. Rather he smiled at Sammy, elbows propped up on the table.

"…What?"

"Italian dressing."

"I…I've tried it before. The last time I had a salad here. I thought to try it again."

"You really are different in Time of Eve. More … free … with your thoughts, emotions and opinions. It's nice. You should do it more often."

He had said it lightly, not much thought to it, but the way she grimaced made him bolt up straight in his chair. On Sammy's side, she seemed mortified, eyes widening and then head darting down. "That's," she said, her voice catching, "not possible, Master."

Rikuo could see Nagi, behind the counter, perk up at that. But the two caught each other's eyes and Nagi left – vanishing into a side door. She had left the two of them on their own in the field of tables. As alone as they would ever be.

"Why not?"

Sammy pulled her head up, looked him in the eye, then gestured above her head to now empty space.

"The Ring." Rikuo said the unnecessary.

Sammy nodded. "It dampens thoughts and facial expression while reinforcing the Second Law. There's a field of sorts around this café. By stepping through that door the Ring deactivated."

He wondered if she knew when she first visited on Shimei-san's advice. Hearing about it made Rikuo think that the Time of Eve was less of a grey zone and more in complete violation of the Ethics Code. Speaking of which, "What of the Ethics Committee?"

Sammy just looked at him and gave a slow nod.

"Alright, enough of that now," The voice caught his attention. There was Nagi, two salads in bright green bowls lay on a tray with steaming cups of coffee. "Two Gardens and Eveblends," she said, sliding the meal in front of them.

Another silence descended as the two got to work on their food. Again, not a true silence, not with the way that the crunching of lettuce sounded, but a silence nonetheless. Meanwhile, Rikuo thought about what to say, the conversation so far playing out in his head. Maybe –

"There's no other way to deactivate it." Sammy had pushed the now empty salad bowl aside to nurse her Eveblend. While Rikuo still had a bit left, he pushed it aside to address Sammy.

"Couldn't you willing turn it off?"

"I could. But the Committee would know instantly."

_And that's a violation. _

He still remembered what Tex said a week ago, "If a robot turns off its Ring while in motion then it's in violation of the robot law." It was now that he realizes that this law applied to every android in Time of Eve – Koji and Rina, Akiko, Shimei and … and even Sammy.

But still, Rikuo didn't even hesitate with his smile.

"I guess that means we'll just have to come here again, won't we?"


End file.
